"MI VIDA LOCA"

This is a very fictional story of two lady baby boomers growing up in a patriarchial society in America in Southern California. Any reference to actual persons is coincidental. All characters are fictional created from the brain of the author who lives in Southern California, age 74.

Suzy and Maria stayed positive all their lives holding back tears, to keep moving forward. They had to figure out which path the universe had for them to walk through or into. They had many relationships, seeing the good, the bad, the ugly in their 72 years of life on Earth.

Suzy and Maria were best friends living in the San Fernando Valley in Southern California. Suzy and Maria were empaths, vivid dreamers of life and visions of realities of night and day. Suzy and Maria were sisters from another mother as they used to tell everyone. Suzy's parents were of Jewish and Black heritage. Maria's parents were of Hispanic and Irish heritage. They embraced all their heritage as two sisters embracing each other eternally in time.

They encountered many positive experiences as well as adversity of the challenges of overcoming the darkness to spread light throughout the world.

A todas mis relaciones

To all of my relations.

Dear Sisters, all over the world,

Suzy and Maria want to thank their parents and grandparents for raising them to be strong women. They thank Maria's grandpa for teaching them to read and write at the age of 5 years old.

Suzy and Maria remember the ins and outs of life of women before 2023.

Suzy and Maria fought the perils of adversity all their lives. They grew up in as neighbors in the Valley, vowing to be best friends for life, through relationships, breakups, men, turmoils, and everything else in-between.

Suzy played the piano for hours as a child of ten years old as she would wait for Maria to knock on her door to play. Maria would knock on her door, open it and would sing the blues of Bessie Smith as Suzy played the chords of her upright mahogany piano. Music was their refuge from anxiety and the perils of growing up as women in a patriarchal society.

Growing up as baby boomers they were raised to a double standard. Maria's dad was a mechanic who taught her in secret how to change the oil in a car. Her mom was a traditional stay at home mom who thought women had their frilly place in society. Suzy's dad was an accountant and her mom worked at the local pet store on Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood. Suzy's mom loved birds and all furry creatures of the animal world. Suzy's mom taught her that women can work out in the world too. Suzy's dad expected her mom to have dinner on the table at 6pm everyday even though her mom worked until 4 pm 6 days a week. Suzy's dad taught both girls there would be a time when women would be more independent.

As Suzy and Maria became teenagers, they were told by society that women had four choices for a career.

1. Housewife, Mom

2. Secretary

3. Nurse

4. Retail Clerk

A woman could not own a house without her husband. A woman could not buy a car without her husband. This saddened both girls very much to hear their fate of minute choices for their lives. They were rebellious, questioning everything they were told by the patriarchal society.

The women's and civil rights movements began in the late sixties and continued throughout the seventies.

At 16 the girls had grown into voluptuous beautiful young women. Suzy had curly long black hair, light olive complexion and green eyes. Maria had long black straight hair and blue eyes. One night they dressed up to go out to a high school party at a friend's house in the Valley. Suzy wore multi-colored bell bottoms and a bright orange crop top and black shiny mid-calf boots. Maria wore skin tight black hip huggers and a hot pink crop top and pink flip flops. Maria drove them to the party in her white 1966 mustang convertible with bright red seat covers and aluminum wheels. They were so excited and looked breathtakingly gorgeous sitting in that 1966 Mustang convertible driving down Sepulveda Boulevard to the party.

They arrived at the party off Sepulveda Boulevard in an expensive all white neighborhoods. They stepped out of their gorgeous Mustang, walked up to the door, knocked on the door with hesitation wondering if they should be there. A blonde, blue eyed handsome tanned dude answered the door, "Hey babes! Wow guys look what the cat dragged into the party!" Suzy and Maria were hesitant once again as they walked into the party, observing the people there. There were only two other girls there in the presence of ten guys of quite masculine body types.

The girlfriend of the blonde, blue eyed dude offered them a beer. Suzy and Maria had not drunk alcohol before that night. They excepted the beers to be sociable and congenial in an atmosphere of pot, booze and masculinity of darkness. There were strobe lights, and the odor of marijuana was prevalent everywhere. There was loud music blasting from the stereo, "Paint It Black" by The Rolling Stones was playing with the bass shaking the walls.

Suddenly five dudes grabbed Suzy yelling, "Let's screw this bitch!" They picked her up off the couch, carrying her to the bedroom, throwing her on the bed. They tore her clothes off but left her boots on. One guy held her arms while the chauvinist pigs had their way with her. Maria heard her friend screaming, ran to the locked door, but failed to be able to help her friend. Finally, the door opened, Suzy stepped out with a torn crop top and no bell bottoms on. Suzy was crying and shaking as she was carresed by her friend Maria. Maria had grabbed a towel from the bathroom that was off the bedroom of horrors to cover Suzy. They slowly ran out the door to get into their car. Maria drove them back to their very middle-class neighborhood of small three-bedroom wooden tract homes.

When they returned to school the following Monday everyone was staring and pointing at Suzy calling her names. Maria stuck by her Suzy, staring back at the bullies, "Go to hell bitches!" They made it through the day but with lingering anxiety and humiliation. Suzy became known as the scarlet woman to most of the bullies who spread lies about Suzy. To the bullies Suzy instigated the horrifying experience just by attending the party. Back in 1966 women were second class citizens, especially of mixed DNA. There was no recourse as they could not win in court, especially because of a middle-class status and their mixed DNA. Suzy sucked her dignity inside her conscious mind forever. Maria cried every night as she laid her head on her pillow to sleep.

The two graduated from high school. Maria's dad paid for both girls to attend nursing school in 1968. They never regretted the medical knowledge they learned from their nursing school adventure.

Suzy began to major in Journalism in college in 1970. Maria began to major in Business and Union Management in college in 1971. They both had jobs at the hospital in the surgery ward. They had to work to help pay tuition as their parents were unable to afford to pay without the girls helping pay too.

Suzy moved in with her college boyfriend who was majoring in accounting. He graduated before Suzy as she was a junior and he was a senior when they met at the school cafeteria. After he graduated, he told Suzy, "Babe, you don't need to graduate now, I am the man. You can rattle those pots and pans!"

Suzy was so angry as she dialed Maria's phone number. Maria drives over to pick her friend up from her boyfriend's apartment in Van Nuys. They decided to go to the Whiskey-A-Go-Go in West Hollywood. The Doors were playing so they danced and drank their blues away until 2am.

Suzy stayed over at Maria's apartment in the Valley that night. Maria took Suzy home the next day. As they drove into the parking lot, they noticed Suzy's boyfriend standing beside a silver Cutlass Oldsmobile talking to the neighbor who was a car salesman. Suzy got out of the car, walked over to her boyfriend and neighbor, "Well I see you picked up my car I applied for, hmm?" He replied, "Oh no baby, your loan was not approved. This cowboy Carl approved the loan for me. Baby love, you can drive it too. We can share. I will drop you off at your job, since you are dropping out of college 'cause I am the man." Suzy was so angry. They had a huge argument. She got back into Maria's car, and they sped off to Maria's apartment in North Hollywood.

Suzy and Maria graduated from college with a 4.5 GPA. They thought they had the world by the tail. Of course, this was only the seventies, and women had just earned their freedom as women to choose their own careers, buy their own houses and cars.

The two women joined up with the women's movement, marching, dancing, carrying signs to promote women's rights, indigenous rights, and minority rights. They met so many people, including Jane Fonda and many more activists in Hollywood. They learned so much about politics and the real world outside of the Valley.

Suzy became a reporter for The LA Times working hard day and night to try to get promoted to the crime beat instead of her small column in the women's decor page.

Maria worked at Universal Studios Hollywood as a runner for the studios to meet people to help her get a position as a drama writer. She had fun working in the industry. Eventually she became an extra on the movie sets in major motion pictures.

However, Suzy faced discrimination in the newspaper industry as there were still male jobs and female jobs. Maria faced discrimination because of the Director's couch scenario.

They were glad they were in California on the west-coast and not in the Midwest or south in America. They continued to work hard, play hard, party hard, and study hard in a competitive industry.

It was 1980 and the seventies were behind the two women. Suzy and Maria were 30 years old. Maria was a Virgo, Indigo September child and Suzy was a Leo, strong and ready to conquer the world.

Suzy married before Maria did. Maria decided she was not ready for that road. Suzy married a dude in East LA, whom had nothing common with her. Suzy and Maria grew up with flower power, pot, music, and peace, love and equality for all. Suzy's new hubby loved guns and the army. He was a macho man with Mahagony brown hair and brown eyes and dark olive complexion. Maria had warned her friend about the cultural differences, but Suzy was head over heels in love with her East LA lover, muscular dude.

Maria agreed to be Suzy's bridesmaid at a small wedding held at a pastor's home in East LA. The theme colors of the wedding were red and pink. Maria wore a pink lace dress, pink ballet shoes and pink stockings. Suzy wore a short pink lace dress, pink ballet shoes and pink stockings. Her groom wore a deep brown tuxedo with alligator shoes. Red roses were spread out over the living room of the pastor's home. There was red rose' wine and a three-layer pink wedding cake with a red rosebud on top. They were married in a bohemian style as they recited their own handwritten wedding vows in Spanish and Jewish. The wedding reception was small and the two wanted to rush away as soon as they shared a glass of red wine and a piece of wedding cake.

Suzy and Jorge raced out the door knocking the Guadalupe candle off the table. Maria rushed over to pick the candle up so as not to start a fire. Maria placed the candle onto the table gently as it had fallen on thick shag carpet without breaking.

Maria ran out the door to follow her friend and the small wedding party. As the new bride and groom opened the car door, Suzy threw her bouquet of freshly picked roses directly into Maria's hands. Maria pricked her right-hand forefinger with the thorn sticking out of the pink tissue paper as she quickly caught the bouquet. Maria looked at her finger thinking, "Oh no Lord, is this a sign of their marriage or my many future broken relationships with men partners?"

While Suzy and Jorge were on their honeymoon in Mexico, Maria met a Native American dude while she was working on a movie set at Universal Studios Hollywood. He was a tall muscular dude with black hair, deep brown eyes, and a deep brown complexion. Maria and Johnny began to date and discovered they had total electricity between the two of them every time they made love or held hands. They created documentaries together as they interviewed Johnny's Native people. They traveled to all the reservations in California filming short films and producing them in Santa Monica.

Maria and Johnny decided to move together to a small one-bedroom apartment in North Hollywood off Magnolia Avenue and Lankershim Boulevard. After living together one month they decided to ask the reservation if they would marry them in Native American style with a sweat lodge et. all.

Maria called Suzy to invite them to their wedding at the reservation. However, Johnny told Maria it would be a closed ceremony and her friend was not invited. Maria was upset but accepted the fact that it had to be that way. They drove to Northern California 65 miles north of San Francisco to the reservation near Santa Rosa to be married in a traditional wedding ceremony. They were so happy. Johnny's friends accepted their marriage and wished them happiness as they drove off to their honeymoon in San Francisco.

Maria and Johnny continued to produce films about Native People and working at Universal Studios Hollywood together on movie sets. Their educational films were shown all over the world, winning awards, and screening at The Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. They were so happy. Yet Johnny was jealous of everyone Maria spoke to accusing her of flirting with other men. Maria was in love with Johnny and had no desire to be with another man.

It was now 1999, Suzy was divorcing her husband after their rocky relationship and two daughters and was having a challenging time finding a place to live. Maria invited them to live with them. So, they all moved to a small two-bedroom apartment in the same complex where Maria and Johnny had been residing in. That would have worked out but Suzy and her two toddler girls moving in with Maria and Johnny was stressful to all parties involved. Suzy was going through a messy divorce with Jorge's family as they wanted to raise them in their culture and told her she was to wild and free to raise her daughters.

Eventually Suzy and Johnny were divorced. Suzy took the money she received from the divorce, bought a two-bedroom condominium in San Fernando. It was a relief to all of them. Suzy was only allowed to have her two daughters every other weekend. Suzy was depressed but continued to work as a reporter at the LA Times.

Maria and Johnny continued to live in the same apartment in North Hollywood. One night an acquaintance from New York City was visiting them. They went out to eat pizza in Burbank. They were laughing, eating pizza, drinking wine sharing stories about the industry in LA and New York City. After they returned to the back to the North Hollywood apartment, they opened another bottle of imported Italian wine. Maria was sitting on the floor. Their friend Betty was sitting on the couch. Johnny was sitting in the wooden rocking chair, rocking back and forth as they all laughed and talked. The Doors music was blasting from the stereo, "Break on Through to the Other Side."

Johnny jumped out of the rocker, grabbed Maria's hair pulling her face down on the floor, kicking her in her left upper back area non-stop. Betty stood up and calmly told Johnny to stop hurting me. By then Johnny was stoned on the wine and weed so he managed to walk into the bedroom, lay down on the bed, passed out cold from the wine and weed he had partaken in. Betty took Maria to Kaiser Hospital in the Valley.

After that, the police arrested Johnny. Maria filed for divorce. That is another story of its own for another time.

Suzy and Maria were both divorced now. Maria moved in with Suzy and her two daughters. The first night they sat on the white leather sofa after dinner and tucking the girls into bed, sighing, and laughing at their "Mi Vida Loca" life of men, wine, and song. They made a toast to stick together as sisters forever through relationships, marriages, break-ups, and life happens stuff.

Maria began a teaching job at a graphic design school and Suzy accepted a position at Warner Brothers as a makeup artist. They decided to create their own women's magazine. They named it "Mi Vida Loca, Two Valley Girls". Life was not perfect, but they had their sisterhood together forever until they met another dude to disturb their peace. Thats another story for another day.

I, the author Vicki Lawana Trusselli, have made it through many trials and tribulations in my 74 years of living on Earth. I am an empath who loves humanity, the earth, the animals, the universe as I thank God every day I wake up. My goal is to create peace, love, and understanding. I promote we are all one human being species with many cultures, languages, ethnicities, skin pigmentation, religious beliefs. I hope to somehow reach a few of the millions of people around the globe.

Life happens.

Love is a rose.

We pick the rose bud

to smell the scent,

to learn about life and love.

I am about peace and love.

We all have set-backs

and must face a lack

of positive emotions but

it's how we react to the negativity

of arrows thrown at our backs.

I move forward because

there are situations one faces

day after day,

night after night.

There are people that I can't control

anyway,

so, I move forward day by day,

night after night

seeking the light

of love and peace

to run away no longer in fight or flight.

I want to love once again.

I laugh.

I cry.

I sigh.

The universe expanding my life,

but not in strife.

Positive ions flow all around the world,

it is catching them,

holding them,

that lifts our spirits of

light.

Even though we seem

to be sad

God never promised me a rose garden

without thorns.

To all my relations.

A todas mis relaciones